Times were turbulent when one of Motueka’s earliest Pakeha pioneers arrived to take up his newly-bought block of land. Edward Fearon had barely pitched his tent and made a start on clearing his section when the Nelson district was thrown into a state of panic, fearing an imminent Maori uprising following theWairau Affray of 17th June, 1843. Motueka was an isolated spot, covered in thick bush, with sea access only, a large resident Maori population and only a very few other widely scattered settlers in the vicinity. A former ship’s captain well used to taking command and dealing with sudden crises, Fearon is credited with playing a significant part in calming local tensions. He went on to see the tiny settlement grow and prosper, and such was his influence and involvement in almost every aspect of the fledgling township’s affairs that fellow residents half-jokingly dubbed him the “King of Motueka”.

All Hallows, Bread Street, London.Rebuilt after the Great Fire of Londonby Sir Christopher Wren, it wasdemolished in 1878.

The youngest son of Isaac Fearon and his wife Elizabeth (formerly Baty nee Hodgson), Edward Fearon was born on 31 October 1813 at the family home on Shove Place, in the Parish of St John’s, Hackney, London. He was baptised by the Rev. W. Lucas at All Hallows, Bread Street, London, on 12 December 1813. (1)

Edward’s parents were both natives of Cumberland, in the northern borderlands between England and Scotland, once the haunts of lawless Border Reivers and birthplace of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Although a London-based merchant and stockbroker, his father Isaac Fearon was born on 24 July 1779 at Brigham, Cumberland, to yeoman farmer John Fearon and his wife Sarah (nee Mark). Both were Quakers and registered their son Isaac’s birth at theCarlisle Quaker Monthly Meeting. Mother Elizabeth was born to John and Judith (nee Pears) Hodgson in Carlisle on 1 January 1775. Judith's father, John Pears. served as an Aldermsn and as mayor of Carlisle from 1768-69. Elizabeth was baptised at St Mary’s Carlisle on 11 October 1776, along with her twin sister, Ann, who married Joseph Tinniswood in 1801.

Elizabeth Hodgson married Adam Baty at St Mary’s, Carlisle, on 18 March 1797. Their marriage was a short one as Adam died just a few years later, his estate recorded as being in administration at St Cuthbert’s, Carlisle, in 1800. On September 27, 1800, the widowed Elizabeth Baty remarried at St Leonard’s, Shoreditch, London, to Isaac Fearon of the Liberty of Norton Folgate. (2) A historic mercantile neighbourhood,Norton Folgate bordered London’s financial district.

Edward was the sixth in a family of seven. He had an older brother, John Hodgson (1801-1855), who served as an officer with the British Army in India and Burma, and five sisters; Mary (1804-1854), Sarah (1805-1858), Frances Elizabeth (1808-1839), Emma Martin (1812-1849) and Elizabeth (1815-1828). Three other siblings hadn’t survived infancy: an earlier Elizabeth (1803-1804), James Sims (born and died 1807 aged 3 months) and Frederick William (1810-1811) (3)

Isaac Fearon appears to have become a practising Anglican, but maintained contact with Quaker family members. His connection to the Quaker network may in fact have helped him in his business interests, as Quaker merchants and bankers played a significant part in the City of London’s financial sector during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His youngest daughter, the second Elizabeth, was buried at the Friends’ cemetery in the Cumbrian Quaker stronghold of Maryport after her death at the age of thirteen, suggesting that she was probably staying with Quaker relatives at the time.

Elizabeth Fearon (nee Ward)(1811-1901)

Only three when his father Isaac died on 31st of January 1816 at the age of 37, Edward was nineteen when his mother died on the 9th of July 1832. Both parents were interred at the family’s church of choice, St John-at-Hackney, in London. It seems his mother had returned with her children to her parents' home in Carlisle after being widowed. Her father john Hodgson took on the charge of raising his grandchildren, and paid the fees so that Edward could be sent to school. However school didn't appeal to Edward, who as a youth ran away to sea, where his abilities were soon recognised. He rose to become a Captain in the British Mercantile Marine (the equivalent of today’s Merchant Navy) and in his twenties commanded ships trading to North and South America, Cape Colony in South Africa and Australia. (4)

On 11 February 1840 Edward Fearon, master mariner, was married at St Olave Hart Street, Crutched Friars, London, to Elizabeth Ward. oldest daughter of Thomas Ward and Elizabeth nee Huggins, who had married at Crediton, Devon, on 24 November 1808.

The Wards were gentlemen farmers associated with “Langridge”, a farm situated in the rolling hills of Mid Devon, 3½ miles outside the market town of Crediton and described in 1871 when owned by Elizabeth’s oldest brother, Elias Tremlett Ward (1810-1874), as being 284 acres in size and employing 14 labourers. (“Langridge Farm” still exists and under its "Langridge Organic" brand, is today in partnership with the Organic Delivery Company.) Elizabeth was born there on 4 November 1811 and baptised at Holy Cross Church, Crediton, on 2 December 1811,

Typical rolling farmland near Crediton, Devon.

Edward and his bride had a working honeymoon, rather more exciting than anticipated. Straight after their wedding they set sail on the "City of Edinburgh" a 365-ton barque on the London to Sydney run with Captain Fearon in command, carrying a few passengers and a general cargo valued at £50,000.As she approached Australia, a ferocious storm of several days’ duration, described by the“Launceston Advertiser” as a “perfect hurricane seldom equalled in these parts”, drove the ship well off course and tore away most of her rigging. Despite efforts to hold her with anchors, during the night of 11 July 1840 the “City of Edinburgh” was driven in the darkness onto a reef just off the shore of Settlement Point,Flinders Island. The ship was hastily abandoned and by the next day had disintegrated, with the coast seen to be “completely strewed with the wreck and her cargo”. It was party time for the locals, who gleefully plundered any goods worth salvaging. Bales of goods were broken open and casks of spirits broached, leaving “nearly every person on the settlement in a state of beastly intoxication”, according to one of the "City of Edinburgh'"s indignant erstwhile passengers. (5) Another ship, the "Ocean Queen", had been driven on to a beach close by and was able to be salvaged. Flotsam washed up from yet another ship indicated that a third unidentified vessel had suffered a less fortunate fate.

Ninteenth-century wooden barque.Both the 'City of Edinburgh" and the "Thomas Sparks" were vessels of this type.

Elizabeth Fearon was with the "City of Edinburgh"'s passengers in the first of three longboats to set out for shore from the wrecked vessel. Family legend has it that after the boat was beached unsuccessful attempts were made to light a fire to guide the others to safety and Elizabeth, who with had done her hair up for the night in paper curls, saved the day by using her curling papers to get a flame started. (6) Although left with nothing but the clothes they stood up in, the entire ship’s company of twenty-two survived. They were given free return passage to England on a ship which first called in at New Zealand.

The Fearons were taken with what they saw of New Zealand and undaunted by their traumatic experience, the intrepid couple decided to settle there, very likely influenced by glowing promotional material circulated by the New Zealand Company. Unsanctioned by the British government, this commercial emigration enterprise had jumped the gun. Desperate to get underway ahead of the Crown's forthcoming annexation of New Zealand as a British colony, they had already set up a base in Wellington and a colony at New Plymouth. The Company's reckless haste and lack of organisation would later lead to calamitous misunderstandings with Maori over landownership, and hardship for European settlers.

"Embarking for the land of gold in hope:Leaving Old England". Artist: Edward Noyce (lithographer)

Having amassed a comfortable fortune during his successful career, Fearon retired from the sea and at the age of 29 emigrated to New Zealand. The Captain, his wife Elizabeth and two of her brothers, John and Thomas Ward, embarked on the New Zealand Company's ship “Thomas Sparks”, a barque of 497 tons. Departing Gravesend on 27 July 1842, they travelled asIntermediate Class passengers at a cost of £250 each. (Cabin Class had more cachet but cost an extra £100 per passenger for little more comfort). Fearon was listed as an “improver”, a settler with sufficient funds to set up a profitable farm of his own and hopefully provide employment for others. Among the Cabin Class passengers wasJohn Hursthouse, whose diary documents a fraught voyage which could have ended very badly indeed but for Captain Fearon’s intervention.Captain Robert Sharp, master of the “Thomas Sparks”, was soon found to be an alcoholic tyrant, prone to erratic seamanship and violent rages, often directed at the passengers. During one of these tantrums he threatened them with loaded firearms and called for gunpowder, causing them to fear he would blow up the ship and them with it! The “Thomas Sparks” was several miles off course as it approached Capetown, but undeterred, on 3 October 1842, Sharp decided to sail into port at night and the ship struck Whale Rock off Penguin Island. It must have been a case of déjà vu for Edward and Elizabeth, but Captain Fearon, who had often taken command of the ship while Sharp was “indisposed”, proved the man of the hour. As water poured in and pandemonium reigned, he swiftly took charge and restored order. He had the pumps manned all night and in the morning the badly damaged barque came off the rock and limped into Capetown, where she stayed till 4 December while repairs were made.

The “Thomas Sparks” was damaged yet again in January 1843 when she collided with the cattle-laden brig "Margaret" while entering Port Nicholson (Wellington), and it wasn’t until 26 February 1843 that the 30 hapless passengers for Nelson finally reached their destination. (7) In the meantime Edward and Elizabeth Fearon had made a start on their family, with their first child, Elizabeth (Lizzie) Ludwig Fearon, being born during the outward-bound voyage on 22 December 1842.

"Dr J.D. Greenwood" [ca. 1852]Artist Sarah GreenwoodDanforth Greenwood (1802-1890)played a significant role aspolitician and educationist ."A more genial friend and companionit would have been impossible to meet".

The Fearons settled at first in Nelson and befriended new settlersDr John Danforth and Sarah Greenwoodwho arrived a month after them on the “Phoebe”, having already bought sections from the New Zealand Company before leaving England; one in Wellington, a Town Acre in Nelson and Suburban Section 152 in Motueka.

With its convenient coastal plains and fertile river valleys, the Motuekaregion very nearly became the site for the New Zealand Company's proposed second colony, to be named Nelson. It was with this in mind that Captain Arthur Wakefield'sPreliminary Expedition landed exploratory parties at Pah Point, Kaiteriteri, in October 1841. lt had been suggested to Wakefield as a possibility by Captain Frederick Moore. Motueka's earliest European settler, Moore had sailed to Blind Bay (now Tasman Bay) several times during 1840 and 1841, established friendly contact with the Maori of West Wanganui in Te Tai Tapu (Westhaven, Golden Bay), Riwaka and Motueka, and had taken a Maori wife with Motueka connections.The area was home to Maori of mostly Ngati Rarua and Te Atiawa descent, with a population originally estimated at 500, but possibly rather less. Seasonally nomadic in search of food, they were hunter-gatherers who lived by fishing, catching wood pigeons and other birds, and gathering edible plants and berries. They also raised pigs and cultivated extensive potato gardens stretching from Lower Moutere to the Motueka River. Familiar with Europeans from trade with the whalers of Cloudy Bay and Port Underwood (Picton), a number of them had been converted to Christianity by the Rev. Samuel Ironside, who established a Wesleyan mission at Ngakuta Bay in 1840 and undertook a regular circuit across Tasman Bay to Motueka and Nelson. As it happened, Wakatuwas chosen as the site for Nelson instead, due to its sheltered harbour. Moore, who served as the Expedition's pilot, claimed the honour of being first of the party to discover Nelson Haven (now Port Nelson) on the eastern side of Tasman Bay. (8)

'Astrolabe Roadstead: Tasman's Gulf" [1841]Artist: Charles Heaphy (Official New Zealand Company artist and draughtsman)Captain Wakefield's Preliminary Expedition ships - the "Whitby", "Will Watch" and "Arrow" -anchored off Kaiteriteri in October 1841.Two small Deal boats (see one at front) were used to explore across Tasman Bay and up the Motueka River.

Attended by their followers, chieftains from Motueka and Riwaka had a lengthy but amicable meeting with Wakefield at Kaiteriteri on 29 October 1841. Anticipating a mutually beneficial opportunity for trade, they. later welcomed the first European pioneers to the area, twenty "cottier" families, smallholders who settled on land at Riwaka in the early months of 1843. However, they had not foreseen the scale of emigration or that Wakefield erroneously believed that the New Zealand Company had bought the entire Blind Bay area from Ngati Toa chiefTe Rauparaha.Not having to their mind agreed to sell land other than that in the Riwaka Valley, in May 1842 the local Maoriobserved with alarm (amply justified in light of their subsequent dispossession) the activities of New Zealand Company surveyors at work in the Motueka area under the direction of Assistant Surveyor Samuel Stephens.

Reassurances were sought and given that their potato gardens, especially those within Te Maatu (The Big Wood), would be left untouched. Promises were also made that customary areas of occupation, burial grounds and sites of cultural significance would be set aside exclusively for them, and that the Company's policy ofNative Tenth Reserves meant one-tenth of the land surveyed for settlement would be reserved for the benefit of Maori. In practice this meant the land was leased to settlers, with rents put into a trust.(9) The survey then went ahead, and Motueka, including Lower Moutere and Riwaka, was divided into 264 sections of 50 acres and 5 sections of 750 acres. The nature of the land up for grabs in the "Motuaka District" was described in detail for prospective buyers in the 13 August 1842 edition of the "Nelson Examiner". Particular note was made of the Te Maatu cultivations, "considered by the natives as the most valuable of their territorial possessions in the neighbourhood". (10) However, the areassupposedly exempted for Maori had been included in the survey and were amongst those made available for selection by settlers.They came under under increasing pressure as larger numbers of settlers moved in, and were largely lost in 1853 when Governor Grey arbitrarily appropriated 918 acres of Maori reserve land and gifted them to the Anglican Church for its contentious Whakarewa School project. His Nelson property proving unsatisfactory, Danforth Greenwood determined that his suburban section in Motueka would be the most suitable place for his family to make their home as long as the Fearons could find land close by “for their mutual friendship and protection”. Accordingly, on 2 June 1843 Edward Fearon bought Motueka Suburban Section 155 for £200 from Captain Wakefield, the New Zealand Company’s Resident Agent in Nelson. (11) It was situated half a mile distant from and to the north of the Greenwoods’ and close at its eastern boundary to a tidal estuary known as the “salt waters”. Much of the land just east of Thorp Street was close to the sea then, the foreshore ridged with sand and shingle thrown up by the sea and threaded by long lagoons. Captain Fearon’s 50 acre property was a mix of fern, flax-covered swamp and dense native bush – beech, totara, rimu and kahikatea (white pine) - which he straightaway set to work clearing. As can be seen from the map above, Fearon's section was among the Suburban blocks on the Thorp Street road line (Sections 151-156) which cut into Te Maatu's eastern border.

Not long after Captain Fearon bought his land, the small colony of Nelson was thrown into chaos by the catastrophic Wairau Affray of 17 June 1843. The result of an ill-advised attempt to strong-arm Ngati Toa chiefsTe Rauparaha and Te Rangihaeata, it was the first serious clash of arms between Maori and British settlers to take place after the signing of theTreaty of Waitangi and led to the deaths of 22 of Nelson’s leading citizens, including Captain Wakefield himself. At least four Maori were killed as well, the first being Te Rangihaeata's wife Te Rongo, who is also thought to have been Te Rauparaha's daughter. Her death may in fact have precipitated events. Not lacking courage, the Rev. Ironside, who had in vain warned Nelson hotheads about the consequences of precipitous action, followed the two chiefs to Kakapo Bay, and gained permission to bury the bodies of those killed. The site of their grave is now marked by a memorial at Tua Marina. However, the Wairau Affray put paid to Ironside's Cloudy Bay Mission - fearing retribution, his Maori congregation fled the area, many going north to Kapiti Island.The Mission was closed and Ironside rmoved to Wellington. There are suggestions that the Ngakuta Bay chapel was relocated to Motueka for use as a Methodist schoolhouse there, but these are disputed.For some time settlers lived in terrified expectation of a full-scale attack by Ngati Toa tribesmen on Nelson itself, and hastily established a fortified refuge named Fort Arthur on Church Hill for their protection. An appeal to the British government for military aid got short shrift from incoming Governor, Robert Fitzroy, who didn't have sufficient resources to take on Te Raupararha and was furthermore forthright in his opinion that the Nelson settlers were at fault and had brought their troubles upon themselves. Outraged Nelsonians never forgave Fitzroy, and when he was recalled to London in 1845, they partied in the streets and burnt his effigy in jubilant celebration. Their fears were never realised, despite frightening rumours and the odd “warlike encounter”, including theconfrontation at Happy Valley (Hira) with leading Wakapuaka chieftain Paremata te Wahapiro on 21 January 1845. The damage was done, though, and the Wairau Affray left a lingering distrust between Pakeha and Maori which contributed towards the alienation of the latter.

"Maori group on beach, Motueka" [between 1847-1851)Artist: Richard Aldworth Oliver (1811-1889)The kunekune pigs adopted by the Maori were intoduced to New Zealand by European whalers.A ship beached "on the tide" lies behind.

The alarm felt in Nelson was even stronger in remote Motueka. The town's few resident European settlers (apart from small groups at outlying Riwaka and Lower Moutere) were clustered around the small harbour known as the Manuka Bush, at the end of what is now Staples Street. The Fearons' closest neighbour, Captain Moore, lived at his "Poenamu Farm" on Section 156 with his Maori wife, Te Paru, and friend Charles Heaphy. Scottish pioneers David and Jean Drummond (later Riwaka settlers) occupied a whare with their children at the southern corner of High and Staples Streets, next to the pa of Rarua Chief, Aperahama Te Panakenake (Enake), and his whanau, who had befriended them. Captain Thoms, appointed Motueka's first magistrate, also lived near by on part of Section 158. He had just established the town's first water-powered sawmill, using water drawn from the Motueka River via an overflow channel. A small group of New Zealand Company roadmakers sent out by Captain Wakefield in March 1843, had set up camp around the town's first licensed public house, the "Surveyor's Arms", a kitset building erected between Enake's pa and the Manuka Bush.

There was a relatively large Maori community in residence - it's thought that there could have been up to four pa in different parts of the Motueka township, including the one at Staples Street and another at the corner of Grey and Pah Streets, near the present Te Awhina Marae.Local Maori were equally concerned about reprisals from the British, and Captain Fearon acted as a calming presence in the small community. On the 1st of July 1843 he reassured readers of the “Nelson Examiner” that “the natives at Motueka are perfectly quiet and friendly”. (12) This may have been the case at the time, but over the next months there were some heated exchanges over disputed land claims. New Zealand Company roadmen who had taken up land by “squatting” on it were forcibly evicted, and there was an armed standoff at Captain Moore’s farm. Te Paru's relatives had given Moore the use of some land, which by tribal custom he held only by right of his relationship with Te Paru but as an outsider wasn't permitted to own. However, the friendship soured after Moore sold Captain Thoms a piece of land without authorization, and deteriorated still further when, in what was seen as a betrayal, Moore bought Section 156 (one of the Te Maatu blocks) from the NZ Company. Dr Greenwood succeeded in defusing this potentially explosive situation, observing later that "very warlike meetings we had with the Maoris on several occasions, but succeeded in convincing them that it would not be to their advantage, even if it were in their power, to get rid of us." (13)

The first "Woodlands" home, built of kahikatea(white pine) in 1843, was designed as a defensible blockhouse, with excavated refuge beneath.

Danforth Greenwood and his three oldest sons had moved to Motueka around August 1843 and lived in a tent while they built their first “Woodlands” home on Thorp Street, at the seaward end of Tudor Street, and recalled today in the street name “Woodlands Ave”. (A second home in Motueka also named "Woodlands" andbuilt on land once owned by the Greenwood family can still be seen at 27 Tudor Street.) Following his appointment in September 1843, William Fox, Arthur Wakefield's successor as Resident Agent for Nelson, undertook a survey of settlers in the Nelson region. Areport of his findings,dated 1 December 1843, was then sent to the New Zealand Company's Principal Agent in Wellington,Colonel William Wakefield. Fox noted in relation to the Motueka district that Dr Greenwood, who “has not been long on his land is now building a very substantial log house”. Anxiety about a possible Maori attack was still strong and Dr Greenwood’s home was designed as a bullet-proof blockhouse, with excavated refuge beneath, from which a defence could be mounted if necessary. The Greenwood children were forbidden candles at night lest they accidentally blow up the stored gunpowder! Fox continued, ”Near to Dr Greenwood is Mr Fearon, an active settler. He has cleared an acre of bush land and cropped it and a little adjoining fern and flax land”. (14)

"The Level Country at the South End, looking North of Blind Bay" [ca. 1841]Artist: Charles HeaphyLooking across Tasman Bay, with Astrolabe to the left, at the future sitesof the Motueka and Lower Moutere settlements, shown from higher ground. Mouths of the Motueka River (left) and Moutere River (right). The large area of bush (centre) includes the Te Maatu cultivations.Cattle were a bucolic touch added later to appeal to prospective settlers.

Thirty-five miles by land and twenty miles by sea from Nelson, Motueka had no roads when the first pioneers arrived. It did however have access to the sea at the harbour known as the Manuka Bush (Te Raumanuka), close to the north-eastern end of the Fearons’ land, and long popular with local Maori - it was a common sight for the early residents of Thorp Street to see Maori canoes paddling past. Captain Moore kept a couple of boats there and was soon joined by Fearon, Sarah Greenwood noting that “Captain F. has a boat of his own and is a prudent and very skilful boatman”. A trip across Tasman Bay (then known as Blind Bay) was a chancy business in a sailing boat, taking anything from two to twelve hours (or longer) depending on tides and weather conditions. Mrs Greenwood described one epic return trip across Tasman Bay from Nelson to Motueka in Captain Fearon’s boat: "We were becalmed, and remained on the water from 10 that morning till 4 o'clock the following morning, when we landed." (15)

Admired by all who knew her, Sarah Greenwood took to pioneering with the same zest she brought to all her endeavours. A talented musician and artist, she taught her own large brood of children and later ran a private school for girls in Nelson, where she was highly regarded as a teacher. Her legacy of drawings, paintings and lively letters gives an invaluable picture of life in early Nelson and Motueka. "A wonderful little woman - one of nature's ladies", recalled Motueka contemporary T.G. (Tom) Brougham. "She educated her ten children - boys and girls. She had absolute command over them. Sometimes they were boisterous, but she had only to hold up her hand and say, "Now, children", and she was given instant obedience." (16) She is commemorated in Motueka today by the thoroughfare between Greenwood and Tudor Streets named Sarah Lane.Dr Greenwood and Captain Fearon took over the management of Captain Thoms' sawmill on behalf of his wife after its owner fell ill. ("Captain Thoms became mental", said Tom Brougham, whose father John was hired as Thoms' attendant). The Fearon boat probably came in handy for the rafts of logs they towed over to Nelson, where they were in demand for use as ship's spars. Sarah Greenwood recorded one such trip as netting £100, of which Danforth Greenwood and Edward Fearon would share £40 - a useful extra with cash in short supply. Captain Moore often helped out and they also employed Leonard Stilwell, a young American carpenter from Brooklyn, New York. Operations at the sawmill ceased after Thoms’ death in 1845, but Stilwell continued to work for Dr Greenwood, who gave him the use of a ten-acre block of land in Riwaka, He named it “Brooklyn” for his hometown, and this name still attaches to the area.

"Motueka, near Massacre Bay, Middle Island, NZ" [between 1851-1856]

Artist: John Pearse (1808-1882)Two Maori canoes off the Motueka coastline, a common sight for Thorp Street's earliest residents.

(Massacre Bay is now known as Golden Bay and Middle Island, the South Island)

Captain Fearon’s brothers-in-law, Thomas and John Ward, had jointly purchased Section 48 at Suburban South (Stoke) for £160.(17)They were among the first to farm there. William Fox recorded in his December 1843 report that ”on entering the plain from Nelson, the first cultivations met with are those of Messrs Thorp, Ward and Songer, each of whom has enclosed about five acres which are at present cropped with barley and potatoes”

Settlers had previously bought their land from the New Zealand Company in lots which included a town acre, a suburban or accommodation section (50 acres) and a rural section (150 acres), but this system quickly proved unworkable. The three sections in any given lot were not necessarily anywhere near each other, and the Company didn’t in any case have sufficient land to fulfil its promises (a major impetus for the push to forcibly acquire the Wairau Valley). This problem was compounded by the large amount of land tied up by speculators who never intended to settle in New Zealand. As it was soon apparent that the majority of Nelson's settlers were not the large landowners anticipated, but labourers just wanting sufficent land for a smallholding, Captain Wakefield obtained the Company's permission to offer single blocks for sale. In the event, he only had time to sell two of these before his death - the suburban sections purchased by Fearon and his Ward brothers-in-law. (18)Perhaps the fact that these two transactions were conducted simultaneously and processed during a time of upset and confusion after Captain Wakefield's death accounts for claims that Captain Fearon bought and worked his Motueka section jointly with his brother Thomas Fearon. As no such brother existed, this “Thomas” was almost certainly Edward Fearon’s brother-in-law Thomas (Tom) Ward, who between 1844-1848 is recorded as a farmer at Suburban South. (19)Whether he ever purchased a share in Fearon’s Motueka Section 155 or not is unclear, though there was frequent interaction between the Fearons and the Wards and Tom Ward appeared to have been staying in Motueka around 1848. However, William Fox's 1843 report does indicate that Fearon was working his property alone at that time.

Charles Thorp(1821-1905)

Charles Thorp, the Wards’ neighbour at Stoke, had arrived in Nelson on the “Olympus” in 1842. He was one of four riders who took part in the first Nelson Anniversary's madcap steeplechase up and down Church Hill on 1 February 1843, and was very nearly a member of Captain Wakefield's ill-fated Wairau party. He may have met the Greenwoods and Fearons through the Ward brothers. Deciding to move to Motueka himself, he bought Suburban Sections 148-151, and established a farm between Tudor Street and Old Wharf Road, with his home a quarter of a mile from the Greenwoods'. He first built a small cottage named “Burton" after his old hometown of Burton Overy in Leicestershire. later shifting to a two-storeyed houseknown as "Sandridge", erected on a sandy ridge at the southern end of what became Thorp Street, and nestled into a grove of trees. (20) Thorp and his family returned to the original “Burton” home after leasing “Sandridge” around 1875 to Plymouth Brethren evangelist James George Deck, whose daughter Mary successfully ran a private girls' school there with the help of her father and sisters Daisy and Alice. Mary Deck appears to have been a teacher in the same mould as Sarah Greenwood. "She had tremendous dignity and expected to be obeyed", recalled her nephew Arthur Salisbury. "'My dear, I wish it!' was quite sufficient to quell any spirit of opposition, but in spite of this she was never domineering or dogmatic. Many felt it was an inestimable privilege to have known her and been influenced by her love and prayer." (21)This family is recalled today by Deck's Reserve, a popular public green space and parking lot in the centre of Motueka.

"'Burton', a residence of Charles Thorp esq".[1850]Drawn as a wedding gift for Charles Thorp and hisbride Mary Ward by the artist, Sarah Greenwood

Thorp was not only a good friend but became a relative-by-marriage on 11 April 1850, when he wasmarriedat St Thomas', Motueka, to Mrs Fearon’s younger sister Mary Ward (1817-1886), the Rev. Thomas Tudor officiating. John Ward had gone back to England for a visit in 1848 and while there married on 22 April in Kensington, London, to Caroline Micklem from Hurly, Berkshire. He also did some successful promotional work for the Nelson settlement. Ward returned to Nelson on the "Bernicia" in November 1848, bringing with him 72 new settlers, his bride and his sister Mary, who joined the Fearon household. Sarah Greenwood was delighted by this match. "I think our estimable neighbour Miss Ward will be married in a fortnight. Mr Thorp is smartening up his little home, and I hope to make a drawing of it soon after the wedding. I suppose I must give them each a copy for their friends". Her daughters Mary and Fanny Greenwood were bridesmaids at the ceremony. (22)Charles and Mary had three children, but only the youngest, Frederick William Thorp, survived his parents, becoming a successful businessman (he established Motueka’s firstbutter factory) and Mayor of Motueka from 1904until his death in office in 1911 at the age of 50. Charles Thorp died on 20 March 1905 and hisobituary gives an instructive picture of the most pressing concerns for Motueka’s earliest settlers. The Thorp family is remembered in Motueka by the place names Thorp Street andThorp Bush, a public reserve gifted to the Motueka community by the Thorp Estate in the 1950s - one of the few remaining places in Motueka where the luxuriant podocarp forest which once covered the whole township can still be seen.

For many years this public-spirited trio of earliest settlers - Fearon, Greenwood and Thorp - would be at the heart of local society, giving freely of their time and talents to "the Village”, as the Motueka township was known, though the sorry state of its first roads in the wet also earned it the nickname “Muddy Acre”!

The Pakeha population of Motueka was growing. According toSamuel Stephens, by 1847 it had reached around 100, and the “three or four gentlemen” mentioned amongst this number would probably have included Fearon, Greenwood and Thorp.Diaryentries made by Matthew Campbellduring 1846 suggest that the Maori population of Motueka stood at 194 in that year, Some Maori had already left the area after the Wairau Afffray and their numbers continued to drop as a result of European diseases and the later loss of their Motueka reserves. A number returned to ancestral lands in the North Island.

The Wairau Affray was a major setback for the already beleaguered New Zealand Company, whose financial collapse in 1844 caused great hardship for many settlers in the Nelson region. Funding for projects like road-making ceased, leaving those who had depended on Company wages in a desperate state. The Fearons, who had their own land, were better off than many, able to become relatively self-sufficient once they got crops in. Motueka’s soil was rich and there was a brisk trade with Nelson in timber and vegetables. With supplies desperately needed for the hordes of diggers pouring in from all over the world, theVictorian gold rush proved a boon for Motueka's Maoriand European settlers alike in the early 1850s, creating an equally brisk trade with Australia in timber, grain and potatoes, farmers receiving up to £10 a ton for the latter. A trading vessel of 300 to 400 tons would stand outside the sand bank and small boats would take the potatoes out to her until they were all loaded. This ship would then take the cargo of potatoes to Melbourne where they had a ready market. Shops selling them would display a placard on which was printed “Potatoes from Motueka, New Zealand”. Goldrushes closer at hand continued to buoy Motueka farmers for a further decade or more as they helped feed the insatiable appetite for farm produce at the Aorere and West Coast diggings.

Native bush from the Thorp and Fearon properties was milled on site and sent away in boats that sailed up the stream to Thorp's Bush from the mouth of Doctor’s Creek (the site of the historic wharf at Motueka Quay, half a mile south of Manuka Bush). It took its name from an old Maori tohunga known by the settlers as Doctor Moon, who lived next to the creek. With the Manuka Bush landing place progressively silting over, most shipping had moved there by 1856. Before the first jetty was built, small ships would enter the inlet at high tide, ground in the shallows and wait till until low tide, when bullock-drawn drays were able to go out to load and unload their cargoes. (23)

The Greenwood family's 'Woodlands" farm at Motueka in 1852, with homestead at right.Artist: Sarah Greenwood.

There was also a lucrative reverse trans-Tasman trade in farm animals. Stock was in short supply in the Nelson district and animals imported from Australia brought an excellent return. In July 1847 Captain Fearon sailed to Sydney from Wellington on the ‘Star of China” and returned to Nelson in November on the brigantine "Brightman”, which was carrying 950 sheep, 112 cattle and 10 horses for the local market. It’s likely that a number may have been intended for Fearon’s farm, which was certainly well cultivated and stocked by 1850. In April 1851 Fearon was elected an inaugural committee member of theRichmond Cattle Fair, one of the more resilient of the earlyagricultural organisations eventually superseded in 1893 by the Nelson Agricultural & Pastoral Association.

July 25, 1851, was a significant day for the Nelson livestock industry as it saw the arrival of the brig “Spray” from Sydney. On board was Waimea West settlerHenry RedwoodJnr, returning with a number of Australian thoroughbred horses that would form the basis of his "Redwood Stables" stud. One of these was the renowned Australian-bred sire, “Sir Hercules”. Edward Fearon owned several of his progeny, which he is recorded as racing between 1854 and 1858 at Nelson Turf Club Meetings. Both Fearon and his wife had a keen interest in horses and regularly attended the Nelson Anniversary races held at the Stoke Race Course from 1845. Prizes were at first raised by means of subscription, and in the early years Elizabeth Fearon was one of the prominent settlers' wives who subscribed to the Ladies' Purse, among them Mesdames Fox, Monro, Renwick, Sclanders, Richmond and Fell.

Race Day at Stoke, ca. 1865.Many settlers were horse racing enthusiasts and Race Days were popular social occasions. Races were held at the Stoke Race Course for many years, the first taking place on 3 February 1845.

Horses were particularly expensive to begin with, and bullocks provided most of the motive power for some years. Bullock-drawn drays, unstable and prone to capsize, were used for transport. In the earliest years. Captain Fearon had the first carriage seen in Motueka, an improvised sledge with a packing case attached as seating for the passenger, most often Mrs Fearon, and drawn by two bullocks driven by the Captain walking alongside. (24) Later he would own the first wheeled horse-drawn passenger vehicle in the Motueka district.

"Our little church at Motueka" [1850]Artist: Sarah Greenwood.The first St Thomas Anglican Church at Motueka, built of pit-sawn timber and consecrated byBishop Selwyn on 16 April 1848. The home of the Fearons' closest neighbours, the Egintons, can be seen behind.The marriage in June 1848 of Stephen Eginton to Charlotte Ann Bradley was the first to be held there.

Always a generous benefactor to the Church of England, in 1844 Captain Fearon donated a piece of his land at the junction of today’s Thorp and Fearon Streets as the site for an Anglican church and a churchyard burial ground, where Edward Fearon planted the two large oak trees still standing at the site.The first recorded burial there was that of Maria Brougham (first wife of Tom Brougham's father, John), and took place on 2 November 1845. The committal service was conducted by Charles Thorp, who was the son of an Anglican clergyman and often served as a layreader in the early days. Because of the land's proximity to the sea, burials were generally conducted at low tide to avoid the disturbing sight of coffins afloat. This historic cemetery is today incorporated in the Pioneer Historic Park. The last burial, held there held there on 10 October 1946, was also connected with Charles Thorp, being that of his daughter-in-law, Helen (nee Gillard) Thorp, widow of his son Frederick William Thorp.

This was the first of several such bequests Fearon made to the Motueka township. "Being desirous of encouraging the mental improvement of the community among whom he resided", the Captain also gifted a quarter-acre site cut from his Section 155 (where the Motueka Memorial RSA Club now stands) for a public library and reading-room. Known as the Motueka Literary Institution, it also served in lieu of a town hall as a multi-purpose venue for public meetings, talks, concerts, election rallies, as a polling place, and for sundry activities like collecting education rates and music and dancing lessons. It opened to great fanfare in January 1858 with an extensiveprogramme of celebrations to mark the occasion, including a fête, musical festival, fireworks display and a ball. A special steamer service was put on for visitors from Nelson. Any entertainment was welcome and people in the Nelson region would travel great distances to attend social occasions like concerts, dances, cricket games and horse races.

Commemorative plaque atthe current Motueka Library.

A plaque at the entrance of the present Motueka Public Library in Pah Street commemorates Edward Fearon’s original gift.

Captain Fearon was a founding member of the Loyal Motueka Lodge of Oddfellows, established in 1850, and also gave land (the site today of the Abel Tasman Motor Lodge) for the Oddfellows’ Hall. On 14 July 1864 the foundation stone was laid by J.P. Robinson, Superintendent of Nelson Province and the official opening took place on Boxing Day 1865, another excuse for a good knees-up.A steamer brought over excursionists from Nelson to enjoy a day-long fête champêtre in the country, and as the sun went down,reported the “Colonist” on 10 January 1865, “a dance on the green sward was started and kept up with great spirit to the lively strains of excellent music…until daylight did appear”. Dancing didn't appeal to all, however, and Fearon was among the group of Oddfellows who skived off to spend an agreeable evening together at the Motueka Hotel, where many a glass was raised to the Captain's health.

Lodges and Friendly Societies served not only as convivial men’s clubs but also as useful networking tools for men of business and public affairs in colonial New Zealand. In the days before social welfare, they provided financial support for members affected by sickness, accident or old age and paid funeral costs. Even a small town like Motueka had no less than four; the Masonic Lodge, the Ancient Order of Druids (the former established in 1900, the latter around 1895), the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows and the Ancient Order of Foresters founded in 1863, of which Fearon was also a member. The Independent Order of Good Templars, which established a Motueka lodge in August 1898, was a different type of society - it was based on temperance principles and included both men and women in its ranks.

Edward and Elizabeth Fearon’s family was growing, with the additions of Mary (May) (1845-1901), Emma (1847-1913), John Hodgson (1849-1860), Sarah Frances (Fanny) (1851-1913), and Edward Fearon Jnr (1853-1880). Captain Fearon built a large gabled homestead called “Northwood” where visitors were welcomed. Originally described as set back from the road (Thorp Street) in an open paddock, plantings over the years transformed it. A long, winding avenue of oaks, elms and poplars led to the house, which was surrounded by lovely gardens, making it a perfect setting for church fund-raisers and events like the St Thomas’Sunday School picnicheld there on 12 January 1865.

After the Wairau Affray, Te Rauparaha returned to his base at Kapiti Island. He was taken prisoner in 1846 and was held in captivity by Governor Greyuntil early 1848. He died the following year. No charge against him was ever laid, but it was generally seen as belated punishment for the Wairau Affray, Grey being a much more gung-ho character than his predecessor, Fitzroy. Unbeknown to him, Te Rauparaha's release had been bought from his Ngati Toa iwi by means of a ransom, in part being the "sale" to the Crown of his lands in the Wairau and Awatere Valleys.(25) As a consequence, the Awatere was opened up to colonists. Coming from England, where landownership equalled power and prestige, it would have been hard to resist the opportunity to own a large sheep station. Fearon applied for and was granted grazing rights to the 13,000-acre run in the lower Awatere Valley designated “No 3 Wakefield Downs South”, his depasturage licence being one of the first to be issued on 1 January 1849. He named this run “Marathon” and soon freeholded it. Although he was the subject of envy - “Marathon” had more good flat land and low downs in proportion to its size than any other run in the Awatere – in truth Edward Fearon always found the position of absentee runholder problematic, and in the end it would prove the death of him.

Thomas Ward went over to the Awatere in 1849 as the Captain’s manager and got “Marathon” under way on his brother-in-law’s behalf. In 1853 Tom Ward was offered the rights to a hilly 34,000-acre station in the Upper Awatere between Cattle Creek and Molesworth Creek, which he took up and named “Langridge” after the Ward family home in Devon. However, he continued to use “Marathon”, as his headquarters while he worked on building up his own run, possibly preferring its homestead to his own cottage at "Langridge", described by Dr (later Sir) David Monroin 1855 as "the most desolute [sic] miserable looking place I ever set eyes upon". (26)

The Nelson Provincial BuildingsThe business of the Nelson ProvincialCouncil was carried out here between 1853-1873

Meanwhile, Edward Fearon had entered the world of local politics. In 1853 Nelson officially became aProvince run by a Provincial Council, its range encompassing the entire upper South Island (known then as the Middle Island). Following the death of Motueka’s first representative, Samuel Stephens, on 16 August 1855 the Captain was elected to the Nelson Provincial Council as Member for the Districts of Motueka and Massacre Bay (now Golden Bay). He held the seat until the end of the First Provincial Council's term in 1857.(27) Although the Captain and his wife already moved in what counted as the upper echelon of Nelson society, this position gave him a voice amongst the Province's movers and shakers and the chance to meet and mix with influential men of the day, both within the Province and beyond it. Fearon can be seen right in his element, putting that voice to work at meetings of the Provincial Council, its members' speeches being dutifully reported by the "Nelson Examiner" in eye-glazing detail.

Fearon's brother-in-law John Ward served on the First Nelson Provincial Council from 1855-1857 as well, as representative for the Suburban District. His election made the news back home in Devon, with "Trewman's Exeter Flying Post" announcing proudly on 4 October 1855, that "J.T. Ward Esq. of 'Langridge', Crediton, has been elected a member of the Provincial Council of Nelaon, in the Colony of New Zealand." Ward also served on the Second Provincial Council between 1857-1858, this time for Waimea East.

Gold fever briefly consumed Motueka with the discovery of gold in the Waiwhero and Baton Valleys around 1856, and later in the Mt Arthur Tablelands. Although these findings did contribute to the wealth of the township and the creation of more access trackways, they never warranted a real boom in the area - those who profited the most being the boat owners who ferried hopeful diggers and their gear from Nelson to Motueka and often as not caught them again on the rebound as they as returned, sadder but wiser. This wasn’t true of Collingwood, which grew exponentially during theAorere gold rush of 1857-64, and a number of Motueka residents made their way to Golden Bay to try their luck. The next flurry at Wakamarina in 1864 was short-lived, lasting only a year at its height.

Edward Fearon Burrell(1840-1909)Captain Fearon's nephewand namesake.

Around May 1860 Tom Ward *moved on after selling his “Langridge Station”to brothers Alexander and George Monro, nephews of Nelson conservative politician David Monro. Ward may have had his arm twisted or been made an offer he couldn't refuse. The young Munros were keen to add his station to the "Valleyfield" run near Renwick which they already owned, so their uncle put the pressure on through Ward’s brother-in-law, Captain Fearon, a political ally whom he knew well. This left “Marathon” unsupervised, but conveniently Fearon just happened to have another relative on hand to help out - his young nephew and namesake,Edward Fearon Burrell.

Edward Burrell was the only son of Captain Fearon’s older sister Mary Fearon, who had married Thomas Gibbard Burrell in London in 1835. An energetic and enterprising lad, Burrell gave up his job in a London architect’s office at the age of 18 and took passage on the “Maori” in 1858 to join his uncle in New Zealand. He had been working on the Captain’s Motueka farm, but was happy enough to go to the Awatere and take over at “Marathon”, being paid 15 shillings per week for his efforts. This he did for three years and through this connection with “Marathon” Edward Burrell came to befriend theChaytor brothers, John and Arthur, of “Coverham Run”. Both would later become part of the Fearon and Burrell clans.

L-R: Brothers Brian, John & Arthur Chaytor, ca. 1900.

Five sons of John Clervaux Chaytor and Lydia nee Brown, holders of the ancient manor of Croft-on-Tees in North Yorkshire, came out to New Zealand to work on Marlborough sheep runs. John and Edward Chaytor arrived first in 1860 to help an acquaintance, Joseph Dresser Tetley (more of this gentleman later), establish his "Kekerengu Station". They then set up their own successful "Coverham Run". in the Clarence Valley. Following Edward's death from rheumatic fever on Christmas Day 1863, John was joined by first Arthur, then Brian and Charles. By 1880 the brothers had gone their separate ways - John to Spring Creek, Blenheim, Arthur to Mapua near Motueka. Charles had returned to Croft in England and Brian had settled in the Bay of Plenty, where he ran a store at Maketu, operated a flaxmill at Paroa on the Kaituna River and established a farm on 'considerable property" at Otamarakau, Te Puke (Chaytor Road in Te Puke is named after him). John married Captain Fearon's daughter Emma in 1867, while Arthur married Fearon's niece, Mary Ellen Burrell in 1872.Captain Fearon’s adventurous spirit saw him explore the areas around Motueka soon after his arrival there. He is recorded as a visitor to the short-livedSt Paulidorf Lutheran Mission at Harekeke in boggy Central Moutere and like a number of better-off settlers he travelled with surprising frequency, given the difficulties involved, taking ship to Wellington, the Wairau and Golden Bay, where he purchased a 150-acre block of land (Section 9) at Motupipi in the early 1850s. His wife sometimes accompanied him on these trips and they also travelled together to Nelson by horseback, a two-day journey each way requiring overnight stop-overs at the homes of friends in Nelson and the Waimeas. While in town on business, Captain Fearon made his Nelson headquarters at the Wakatu Hotel, a favourite home away from home and "gentlemen's club" for many country residents. Fearon's horse became so familiar with the drill that it would take itself straight to the "Wakatu"'s stables on arrival in town.

"Northwood", the Fearon family's large gabledhome at Motueka. It burnt down in the late 1920s.Artist and date unknown.

Having put in a farm manager for “Northwood” (Frederick Guerin - keen cricketer, militiaman, assistant master at the Bishop's School in Nelson from 1867-71, and later a Dovedale settler), Edward Fearon was free to join John Rochfort’s survey party in early 1860. On 9 February they departed Golden Bay on the schooner “Gipsy”, owned and skippered by Captain Jack McCann. They were on an expedition to explore the West Coast, check the accessibility of the Grey and Buller rivers for shipping, and take in supplies for another party led byJames Mackay Jnr, a Golden Bay resident and an old friend of Captain Fearon’s.(28)The “Gipsy” anchored in the Buller River andFearon accompanied Rochfort’s party on a tramp down the coast to the Mawhera (Grey) River, where they met up with McKay before setting out for home on 13 March 1860.

A Scotsman who as a youngster came out to Nelson in 1844 on the "Slains Castle" along with his well-to-do family, assorted kinsmen, servants and a prefabricated house, the larger-than-life Mackay was a man of many talents - farmer, explorer, map maker, administrator and fluent speaker of Te Reo. He also worked as an agent and "fixer" for the NZ Government. When he connected with Fearon’s party he had been negotiating a purchase of land known as the Ahaura Block from Ngai Tahu on behalf of Land Purchase Commissioner, Donald McLean, Mackay completed this transaction on 21 May 1860. Taking ruthless advantage of his understanding of the Maori language and customs, Mackay acquired vast tracts of Maori land for the Crown at the cheapest possible prices in both the North and South Islands. Mackay was serving as Commissioner of Native Reserves on 11 June 1864 when he oversaw a transaction allowing Fearon to exchange his Motupipi land in Golden Bay for an equivalent in Motueka – Sections 139, 140 & 141, comprising 148 acres just a little south-east of “Northwood” on the seaward side of Thorp Street. (29)Some questions arise about this deal - the Maori owner of the Motueka land agreed to the exchange believing that the land would be used for a school. It doesn't appear that this was the case, but whether it was the intention remains unknown. It is known that by 1876 the Fearon family claimed the adjoining Sections 137 and 138 as part of the "Northwood" estate, most likely occupied under a Whakarewa School Trust lease. These two sections had been among the Native Tenths Reserve blocks annexed by Governor Grey for the Whakarewa Industrial School, and may possibly have been considered at some stage as a site for the School, which ran erratically from 1846 but wasn't established at its College Street location until the early 1860s. (30) What happened to the Motueka sections exchanged for the Motupipi block is unclear, but they were not listed in 1876 as belonging to the Fearons.The Fearon family had also acquired the 50 acre Section 156, on the northern side of their original Section 155. (31) In all probability Captain Fearon bought this from its first joint owners, Frederick Moore and Charles Heaphy, when they left the district in 1848. With the leased sections 137 & 138, this means that the Fearon property had over the years expanded to a 200 acre block, a neat square bisected by Thorp Street.

"West Coast of the Province of Canterbury from the northern bank of the River Grey" [1862]Artist: John Gully (1819-1888)

A few months after the Captain's return from the West Coast, the Fearons were dealt a heavy blow. Their oldest son, 11-year-old John Hodgson Fearon, died at home on the 5th of August 1860. He was the first of the Fearon family to be buried at the churchyard cemetery in Thorp Street. John Fearon’s death notice in the “Nelson Examiner” of 11 September 1860, heads a list that is a grim reminder of the high mortality rates suffered by the children of Nelson’s pioneers.

The year 1860 was one of turmoil generally for the Nelson region. Marlborough had seceded from the Nelson Province at the end of 1859 and there was renewed anxiety following the outbreak of hostilities between settlers and Maori in the North Island, resulting in theFirst Taranaki Land War. In response, volunteer militia corps were formed in many parts of the Nelson district and these included the Motueka Rifle Volunteers, commanded by a former British military man, Captain Frederick Horneman. (32)

Richmond Hursthouse(1845-1902)Married Mary Fearon in 1869Came to Nelson as a Taranaki refugee and later became M.P.for Motueka from 1876-1887 and Motueka's first Mayor in 1899.

With New Plymouth under siege, over 1,000 women and children were evacuated from the Taranaki Province and brought to safety in Nelson. Among them were the wife and family of John Hursthouse, the “Thomas Sparks’” diarist, who renewed their friendship with the Fearons. (It's worth noting that John and Helen Husthouse were just the first of a wider inter-related family group who emigrated to New Zealand and became associated with Nelson. Known collectively amongst themselves as "The Mob", this group included the Hursthouse, Richmond, Fell and Atkinson families.) Escaping an unhappy marriage, Helen Hursthouse chose to stay in Nelson with her children and didn’t return to New Plymouth. Many Nelsonians hosted theseTaranaki Refugees. On 11 April 1860 a public meeting chaired by Captain Fearon was held at the Motueka Institute to discuss accommodating Taranaki refugees in Motueka, and as a result the Motueka Taranaki Refugee Aid Commitee was formed. It's thought that several local families hosted refugees and one instance at least is known; the Greenwoods took in the Rawson children - Louisa, Herbert and Ernest - when the Nelson household of their host, Dr Sealy, became overfull. (33)

After three years the Captain’s nephew had had enough of the primitive and isolated life at the Awatere and returned to Motueka in January 1863. Using some money inherited from his mother’s estate, Edward Burrell bought a small farm at Riwaka as a home for himself and his sisters Emma and Mary, who had decided to join him in New Zealand. However his sisters found life on the farm uncongenial, and they moved into the Motueka township, where they lived until 1870 at "The Gables" on Thorp Street. In 1864 Edward Burrell took up land at Ngatimoti in the Orinoco Valley and while still living in Motueka, cleared bush and built a house there. When he married Emily Bowden in 1869, the newly-weds shifted into their new home at Ngatimoti, along with Edward's sisters. Despite their removal from town, the Burrells remained close to the Fearons and they stayed in constant contact with each other.

His nephew's return meant that Edward Fearon again had to do something about “Marathon” and in January 1864 he leased it for a fourteen year term to an experienced station manager, John Henry Caton, at a rental of £2,000 a year.

The Captain maintained a keen interest in public affairs and church activities. Early services in Motueka were conducted by layreaders, often at the Greenwood home, though the Rev, Charles Waring Saxton, who beame a close friend of Fearon's, is known to have visited and taken services there on occasion.The Rev Saxton came to Nelson on 11 May 1842 on the "Clifford", along with his wife Mary and brother John Waring Saxton. Finding himself the only ordained Anglican cleric in the settlement until Bishop Selwyn's arrival, Charles Saxton held services and officiated at marriages, baptisms and funerals, even having the melancholy task of conducting the committal service for his own wife at the Hallowell Cemetery in Nelson. He returned to England not long after, but his friendship with the Fearon family was not forgotten. Many years later when the Fearon estate in Motueka was subdivided, a street was (mis)named in his honour - Saxon Street.Work had started early in 1844 on the first St Thomas’ Church, constructed of rammed earth on the land Edward Fearon had given for the purpose, but before the roof could be put on, the walls collapsed during a heavy rainstorm. Informal services continued at the Greenwoods’ home until the replacement pit-sawn timber church, built on the same site, was completed and consecrated byBishop Selwyn on 16 April 1848. After the service of consecration the Fearons were delighted to host the Bishop when he stopped for refreshments at “Northwood” on his way to visit Riwaka. Edward Fearon was one of the earliest of St Thomas’ churchwardens, his service dating from 1849, and ten years later he was elected a member of the Nelson Diocesan General Synod.

As was common in early communities, to begin with church and school shared the same premises, and classes were soon being held at the new church. In 1849 Motueka’s first resident vicar was appointed, Welshman Reverend Thomas Lloyd Tudor (for whom Motueka’s Tudor Street is named). In 1872 he married Captain Fearon’s niece Emma Hardy Burrell.

"The Motueka school house" [Oct. 1851]Artist: Sarah GreenwoodMotueka's first purpose built school, it was run by the Anglican Church from 1850-1866.

Dr Greenwood had added Motueka Sections 153 & 154 to his holdings. Some of this land he subdivided for the various storekeepers and tradesmen looking to move into Motueka, among them a cooper, blacksmith, baker, tailor and bricklayer. and a couple of carpenters and shoemakers. Captain Fearon also subdivided off pieces of land for new settlers from his Sections 155 & 156. With a clergyman, doctor, magistrate and constable in residence as well, Greenwood noted in a letter dated 30 March 1850 that "Motueka is assuming quite a settled appearance". The same year Danforth Greenwood donated 23 acres of land (part Section 154) to Bishop Selwyn as a glebe. Two acres on the corner of High and Greenwood Streets were put into trust as the site for a church, vicarage and schoolmaster’s residence in Motueka, and one acre for a purpose-built schoolroom. This first church-run school opened in 1850 and sat in a grassy paddock with a wooden gate opening on Greenwood Street (originally Stafford Street but later renamed for Dr Greenwood), where the Salvation Army Hall now stands. After a public school was established in 1866 on the site of today's Motueka Museum, it became the St Thomas’ Sunday School and was also used for church meetings and Motueka Horticultural Society shows. These last were very popular and highly competitive. Everyone had a go, Mrs Fearon apparently having a winning touch with her table carrots. In 1998 the former schoolhouse was relocated to High Street South, taking on a new lease of life as the nucleus of the present Toad Hall store and cafe complex. Although a "Wind in the Willows" whimsy springs to mind, the name T.O.A.D. is in fact an acronym, standing for "The Old Anglican Diocesan Hall".

The centre of town had gradually shifted to High Street and in May 1860 the little St Thomas Church followed, hauled by a team of bullocks from Thorp Street to the land on High Street earlier donated by Dr Greenwood. Captain Fearon took a great interest in the project and helped fund the costs of the move. Additions were made to the building after it was settled at its new site (where Parsons Motors stands today) and it continued to serve the community until replaced in 1910 by the present St Thomas Church, just a little further along High Street to the south.

At £1 a sitting, letting out pews was a good little earner for St Thomas, whose only funding for many years came from contributions made by its congregation. The Fearons were pew-holders and had a roomy pew with an extension under the lectern, in later years occupied by Mrs Fearon, her unmarried daughter Lizzie and a number of Chaytor, Thomas and Hursthouse grandchildren. The whole Fearon family was closely involved with the Church. Mrs Fearon was an early member of the Ladies’ Guild, a sociable group which worked diligently to raise funds for the Church through sales of work, subscriptions and various benefit events. The vicar's stipend often fell victim to the constant funding crisis, and Captain Fearon is recorded on at least one occasion as providing a top-up so the long-suffering vicar could be paid.

"New Plymouth Under Siege" [1860) Artist: Edwin Harris (1810-1895)The tiny paddle steamer 'Tasmanian Maid" can be seen at centre as troopsof the 40th Regiment are ferried ashore to relieve the besieged townshipof New Plymouth during the First Taranaki War.

The 1856 Census of Motueka shows the township hitting a growth spurt, now boasting "a population of 981, 121 horses, 147 goats, 1667 cattle, 1859 sheep, and 171 buildings, of these 119 with good shingle roofs". With roads still not much more than rough cart or bridle tracks, the sea remained the easiest means of travel for many years. Although a "mosquito fleet" of little sailing ships busily plied its trade around Tasman Bay, getting a faster and more reliable steamer service to meet the increasing demands of out-of-the-way Motueka was one of Captain Fearon’s passions. He was a prime mover and Provisional Committee member when theNelson Coast Steam Navigation Company was set up 1855 “to establish steam communication between Nelson, Motueka, Massacre Bay and other parts of the province”. Trading as the “Nelson Coast Steam Association”, it purchased the sturdy little paddle steamer “Tasmanian Maid”, of 90 tons and boasting a speed of 10 to 11 knots. A 10 ft wide T-shaped wooden jetty (expanded and reinforced in 1858) was built by Charles and Joseph Parker in 1856 at the Doctor's Creek site to accommodate her, and on 23 June 1857 she set out amid much excitement on herfirst trial trip from Nelson to Motueka and Collingwood, with “opinion expressed by all on board of the steamer’s performance one of unqualified approbation”. (The local worthies aboard must have had iron constitutions or been well braced with brandy - a paddle steamer ploughing along with her thrashing paddle wheels in motion was notoriously conducive to seasickness) (34) She then went into operation carrying goods and passengers between Nelson, Motueka, Collingwood, Wairau, Picton and across the Cook Strait to Wellington. She was the earliest of the small coastal steamers that revolutionized transport in the region.

The “Maid”, as she was familiarly known, was used in 1860 to carry refugees from New Plymouth to Nelson and was then co-opted by the military for service during the First Taranaki Land War. She was returned in July 1861 and went back on the Nelson coastal run. However her owners (reincorporated as the Nelson & Marlborough Coast Steam Navigation Company after Marlborough became a separate province) never recovered after the badly damaged “Tasmanian Maid” had to be sold in May 1862 following an accident on the Wairau River - the cost of repairs was beyond their means. (Refitted and renamed "Sandfly", the little steamer then went on to a further career in the North Island). Before they could get up and running again,Nathaniel Edwards & Co. had seized the opportunity to set up a rival steam navigation company which smartly filled the gap. Edwards & Co's paddle steamer “Lyttelton” had taken over the Nelson coastal trade by November 1862 and was joined in 1864 by the twin-screw steamer “Wallabi”, first in what would become the long-runningAnchor Shipping Company’s fleet of steamers. The Nelson & Marlborough Coast Steam Navigation Co. struggled on but didn’t have sufficient resources to compete. It was wound up at the end of 1865, much to Edward Fearon’s regret.

Education was another subject of perennial concern and from 1861 Fearon served on the Motueka Board of Education for several terms and was also appointed its representative to the Central Education Board in Nelson. Edward Burrell had been elected a member of the Ngatimoti School Committee when the school opened in 1868, and his uncle Edward Fearon was invited, as a person of consequence, to inspect the Ngatimoti pupils the following year.

The "P. S Lyttelton"Berthed at the end of High Street, Blenheim.Her arrival marked the end of the line for theNelson & Marlborough Coast Steam Navigation Company.

With his ever-present pipe on hand, the Captain was a well-known local identity. Politics remained a major preoccupation, and during nominations for the Superintendent of the Nelson Province on 30 November 1861 he was vocal in support of the conservative candidate, John Wallis Barnicoat, being firmly in the conservative camp himself. (To no avail - the liberal candidate, John Perry Robinson, was elected). Fearon also continued to play an active role in Motueka’s election processes as “kingmaker” after he himself ceased to serve on the Nelson Provincial Council, and wasn’t above a spot of character assassination when promoting his preferred candidates at the expense of the opposition. However, this was not seen as particularly sinister - adhominemattacks were par for the course in colonial politics.

At a large and boisterous meeting held at the Motueka Institute in February 1866 to nominate a Motueka candidate to the House of Representatives, the Captain was taken to task by Provincial Councillor Bernard Macmahon of Riwaka for denigrating the favourite,Charles Parker, in order to boost the chances of his own protégé, James R. Dutton. Macmahon also accused him of having claimed that “he (Fearon) was ‘King of Motueka’ and if he brought forward an old tom cat the people of Motueka would vote for it”.To general laughter Captain Fearon riposted (rather disingenuously, as he was clearly gratified by his unofficial title) that “he was unaware he had assumed the kingship of Motueka; it being generally assumed that Dr Greenwood had done this”.(35)

The barbed exchanges between the usually genial Captain Fearon and Bernard Macmahon, a Scottish “Expedition man” who had arrived in Nelson on the "Whitby" as a member of Captain Arthur Wakefield’s 1841 Preliminary Expedition, were a source of ongoing entertainment for Motuekans. Provincial government in the Nelson region was from the start an abrasive affair. Divided between “conservative” (upholders of wealth and privilege) and “liberal” (democratic and egalitarian) elements, it was characterised by in-fighting to the degree that those in the political sphere acquired the ironic collective nickname “The Happy Family”. The cold war between Fearon and Macmahon, who stood on opposite sides of the political divide, reached its peak in 1868 when the two prosecuted each other over an altercation at Riwaka during a pheasant shoot. This saw the cases Macmahon v Fearon and Fearon v Macmahon heard one after the other before a crowded court at Motueka during the same session on Wednesday, 19th August 1868. The magistrate was less than impressed by this timewaster and summarily dismissed both cases. (36) “This affair is a very pretty quarrel and proves that the normal state of ‘the Happy Family’ remains unaltered”, sniffed the “Nelson Evening Mail”.

"Marathon" continued to be a thorn in Edward Fearon's side. In April 1865 Caton gave notice that he wanted to terminate his lease on the property. Fearon's choice of lessee had been an unfortunate one. Although John Henry Caton had run part of Molesworth Station and later managed several runs in Canterbury, he was a shady character who caused trouble wherever he went and was latersentencedto three years gaol for trying to abscond with the proceeds of the sale of a mob of cattle he had been entrusted with. Joseph Dresser Tetley, the personable owner of "Kekerengu Run" on the East Coast, also held the lease to "Starborough Station", which adjoined "Marathon". He offered to deal with Caton on the Captain's behalf and made an agreement to take over the lease himself - he had always coveted Fearon's land. The disentanglement from Caton, conducted at third hand, turned into a messy, expensive and protracted affair, which took its toll on the Captain. Caton sued Fearon for the reimbursement of money he claimed he was still owed for fencing he'd done on the run. The case dragged on, not coming to court in Nelson until November 1867. The final judgement at the Supreme Court in Nelson on 3 January 1868 was made in Fearon's favour.(37)

Major-General Sir Edward Chaytor(1868-1939)The only New Zealander to exercisecommand of an ANZAC forceat a divisional level.

In the meantime Captain Fearon had had enough. He just wanted to get shot of his troublesome sheep station and in August 1866 he sold ”Marathon” to Tetley for £20,700 (the equivalent of around $2.2 million today) – all left on mortgage. (38)The Fearons celebrated the first wedding in the family when their third daughter Emma married John Clervaux Chaytor Jnr at St Thomas’ Church, Motueka, on January 30, 1867. Described in breathless detail by the “Nelson Evening Mail”, themarriage of “the lovely and accomplished daughter of Edward Fearon, Esq., ‘the King (as he has usually been called) of Motueka’”, was a social event of major proportions, with the guest list a veritable “Who’s Who” of local society. (39) The newly weds first went to live at the Chaytor brothers’ “Coverham Run” in the Awatere but later moved to a sheep station known as “Marshlands” in Spring Creek, Blenheim, where they also ran a flax-milling operation. They had 12 children, with Emma returning home for the birth of the first. Born at “Northwood” on 21 June 1868 and named for both his lost uncle and his proud grandfather,Edward Walter Clervaux Chaytor(nicknamed “Fiery Ted” by his troops for his distinctive red hair) became a career soldier and distinguished military commander during WWI. He took part in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign, commanding the New Zealand Mounted Rifle Brigade from 1916-17 and the ANZAC Mounted Divison from 1917 until the campaign's end in October 1918. All the Chaytor sons attended Nelson College and following their father's example, served with volunteer militia and regular armed forces in both New Zealand and England.

"The First Nelson Anniversary Regatta" [4 February 1843].Artist: Charles Heaphy.Motueka's earliest settler, Captain Moore, came second withhis little ship "Mary Ann", originally one of the "Fireshire"'s longboats.

In 1872, Edward Fearon’s other niece, Mary Ellen Gibbard Burrell, married John Chaytor’s brother, Arthur, and they set up a sheep farm and flax milling operation on an estate in the Moutere Hills called “Seaton” after a Chaytor family estate in Yorkshire. It encompassed the site of the current Mapua township and port, then known as the "Western Entrance”. Arthur Chaytor was the first to build a jetty at the site of the present Mapua wharf, so that steamers on the Nelson coastal run could pick up his flax fibre and take it to market. Today’s Seaton Valley Road is a reminder of this estate, broken up around 1906

The summer of 1867 was a particularly busy one for Edward Fearon. A committee had been set up to organize Nelson’s 25th Anniversary celebrations, and as well as making arrangements for his daughter's wedding, he was organizing Anniversary events to be held in February at Motueka, having been appointed chairman of the Motueka branch of the Anniversary committee. From 1843 Nelson had marked the anniversary of settlement in February 1842 with dinners, regattas, horse races and public picnics, but no effort was to be spared in making this landmarkNelson Anniversary Day a successful affair. Theprogramme of events shows a special emphasis on recognizing the region’s earliest settlers.

Captain Fearon should have had every reason to feel confidence in the future, but in exchanging Caton for Tetley he had jumped from the frying pan into the fire. Joseph Dresser Tetley was a colonial con-man who left a number of men who had dealt with him in good faith facing financial ruin. In December 1868 Tetley skipped the country without having made any payment on ‘Marathon”, and leaving Fearon in a fix. He applied to the Supreme Court for the return of his run, which was sequestrated following Tetley’s hasty departure, but was obliged to buy it back. The Court put “all that pastoral freehold estate of 13,000 acres known as the ‘Marathon Run’” up forauction on 16 June 1869, and out of sympathy for the Captain there was virtually no opposition. It was finally knocked down to him for £3000, less than the value of the buildings and fences on it.

Everybody loves a parade...With band playing and Lodge banners flyingthe Brethren of the Ancient Order of Forestersprepare to march down High Street, Motueka.They are lined up outside the Post Office Hotel.

Due to a slump in the prices of sheep and wool, Edward Fearon was unable to recoup his losses and became deeply despondent about his future prospects. However, he put on a brave face and carried on as usual. He appeared of good cheer in March 1869 when he presided over anniversary celebrations held by the Ancient Foresters. Joined by Brethren from Nelson, they paraded in their Lodge regalia down High Street to mark the occasion. Timed so that members could enjoy a Race Day at Motueka, the programme concluded with a well-lubricated dinner at the Motueka Hotel. Motueka's residents were equally well-lubricated after a day on the town, and further entertainment was provided by a free-for-all brawl in the streets outside. (40).It came as a shock to all when Captain Fearon died suddenly in Nelson on 21 November 1869. Stress resulting from his “financial misadventures” was generally believed to have led to his death at the relatively early age of 56. He was buried at the old churchyard cemetery on Thorp Street, in land he himself had gifted to the community.

“Edward Fearon Esq. the deceased gentleman, was a colonist of twenty-six years standing and was highly esteemed in Motueka, where he resided, and by all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance”, eulogised the “Nelson Examiner” on 27 November 1869.

His death dismayed his many friends, especially the Greenwoods. In a letter to her sister-in-law Annie in Wellington, Clara Greenwood wrote on 1 December 1969, “You will have heard about the dear Fearons’ heavy affliction. I never saw trouble so meekly and beautifully borne before. The girls have been so brave and dear Mrs Fearon so humble and lovely in her grief; she quite awed me”.(41)

Edward Fearon's gravestone atPioneer Park, Thorp Street, Motueka.

"Sacred to the memory of Edward FearonDied November 21 1869Aged 56 yearsHim that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast outJohn 37:6"

Bishop Suter paid tribute in his annual address to the Clergy and Laity of the Nelson Diocese, recorded in the “Nelson Examiner” on 8 December, 1869: “We have lost an old and tried friend in Captain Fearon, who was a devoted and liberal member of the Church and seldom absent from these annual meetings. His family have our warmest sympathy."Overall, though, the response at the time to Edward Fearon's death was strangely muted, especially given the effusive obituaries accorded his fellow pioneers. Coupled with the cause of death, recorded enigmatically as "melancholia", and the suggestive choice of Biblical text on his gravestone, this leads to speculation (unconfirmable after all this time) that he may have taken his own life, with the truth hushed up out of respect for his family.

Emma Chaytor nee Fearon(1847-1913)

Daughter Emma and her husband John Chaytor came to live at “Northwood” periodically for the next few years to help sort out the estate. Money worries added to Mrs Fearon’s woes. Because of the very depressed state of the sheep-farming industry, Fearon’s executors (his friend Charles Thorp, nephew Edward Fearon Burrell and son-in-law John Chaytor) failed to find a buyer for “Marathon”, which was eventually leased out. Mrs Fearon’s brother John Ward came to the rescue. He.had gone back to live in England around 1860 and become a prosperous wine merchant based in London. In order to help his widowed sister Elizabeth out of her financial difficulties, Ward bought “Marathon” for £10, 000 in 1870. He sold it on in 1879 to its sitting tenant, Richard Beaumont, who merged it with his adjoining “Starborough” run. Beaumont also suffered heavy losses at the hands of Tetley but came about, only to throw himself from the Wellington-Lyttelton ferry on 8 May 1893 when faced with ruin for a second time after his sheep station was overrun by rabbits. (42)The "Starborough Station" was divided up for settlement in 1899 and sections allocated by ballot. The current Seddon township was sited directly opposite the old 'Starborough" homestead. The former "Marathon" homestead block was drawn by George McLeod Gunn, who then took the name "Marathon" for his new farm. At that time, all that was left of the old homestead were the remains of a cob house, a large shed and some magnificent black poplar trees.

Fanny Fearon(1851-1913)Married Fred Thomas of "Dehra Doon"

A happier occasion was celebrated at Motueka on 6 August 1873 (though no doubt their father’s presence would have been sadly missed) when Mary and Fanny Fearon were both married at St Thomas’ Church in a double ceremony. (43) The wedding, conducted by the Rev. Samuel Poole(recalled in Motueka's Poole Street) was another social highlight for the district, the church crowded with guests from far and near. Attended by four bridesmaids attired in fawn sateen and Dolly Varden caps with long scarlet streamers, the two brides didn’t disappoint in their wedding gowns of white lustre trimmed with swansdown and long lace veils.

Fanny, youngest of the Fearons’ daughters, married Frederick George Thomas, youngest son of Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Thynne Thomas, a retired British Indian Army officer. The Thomas family had settled at Samuel Stephens' former Riwaka property, "Knowle Wood", bought from John Rochfort's Estate in 1863. They renamed it after the Indian city of Dehradun in the Himalayan foothills, where Charles Thomas' regiment had been stationed and the family had owned a tea and sugar plantation. Because locals struggled with the name (pronounced "derra doon"), the spelling was changed to save confusion and it's by this variant that the general area is still known - "Dehra Doon". Frederick took over the "Dehra Doon" farm after his father's accidental death in 1874, He and Fanny had five children together. Another distinguished New Zealand commander, WWII veteran and author Walter Babington “Sandy” Thomas, was one of their grandchildren.

Lt-Col. C.T. Thomas(1797-1874)15th Regiment,Bengal Native Infantry.

Second daughter Mary marriedRichmond Hursthouse. A son of the diarist John Hursthouse who in 1842 travelled to New Zealand with the Fearons on the “Thomas Sparks”, after joining the Fearon family Richmond Hursthouse lived with his wife at “Northwood” and ably managed his mother-in-law's holdings until 1893, when he was appointed manager of the Australasian Gold Trust and Pioneer Company’s works at West Wanganui, in Golden Bay. He served for many years as Member of Parliament for the Motueka electorate and became Motueka’s first Mayor after the town was created a borough in 1899. Hursthouse Street in Lower Moutere is named for him. He and Mary had 8 children.In February 1877, the South Island was hit by an extreme weather event,bringing in its wake extensive flooding which wreaked havoc throughout the Nelson district. On 8 February the "Nelson Evening Mail" noted that Motueka presented "a pitiable sight", with roads having been torn up by water in many places, and "several feet of water in High Street, which had to be navigated in boats and canoes". The northern end of the town was particularly affected, and several residents had to be rescued by boat from their flooded homes. Mrs Fearon's farm was reported as being completely under water, and no doubt its remediation would have presented Richmond Hursthouse with a major challenge.

Edward Fearon Jnr(1853-1880)

Tragedy struck at the end of 1880. The younger of the Fearons’ sons, Edward, died on 20 November 1880 at the age of 27 after being hospitalised at the Asylum in Nelson. The cause of death was given as “a spasm of the heart”. Edward Fearon Jnr had attended the Bishopdale Theological College in Nelson for some time before deciding that taking up the law would be a useful adjunct to his work for the Anglican church. He had been articled to a firm of solicitors in Wanganui and travelled to Wellington to take his final qualifying examinations. Anxiety about the results (sadly, in the event he passed with flying colours) appears to have precipitated a psychotic episode, which saw him briefly committed to the Wellington Asylum. Upon improving he was sent home to Nelson on the steamer “Wakatu”, but his bizarre behaviour during the trip led to fears that he would harm himself or others. He was admitted on arrival to the Nelson Asylum, where he died shortly afterwards. In his attendant's absence he managed to tear out his own right eye, the shock resulting in a fatal heart attack.(44)There was no kindly conspiracy of silence to shield the Fearon family this time - newspapers trumpeted the sad tale of madness and self-mutilation throughout the country in lurid detail. Although Edward Jnr's death was generally reported as a suicide, it was not ruled as such. As a mark of solidarity with the bereaved Fearon family, always staunch supporters of the Anglican Church, Bishop Suter himself conducted the committal serviceheld on 22 November 1880 at the old St Thomas’ churchyard burial ground.

St James Church, Ngatimoti.Consecrated by Bishop Suter on 28 October 1884.

Elizabeth Ludwig Fearon, oldest of the Fearons’ children, never married but lived at home with her mother and was much involved with work for the Anglican Church. This included assisting with theWhakarewa Orphanage, a later, equally controversial incarnation of the unsuccessful Whakarewa School. She was a leading member of the St Thomas' Ladies' Guild, whose meetings were often held at "Northwood". Thanks to the connection with her cousin Edward Burrell, she took a great interest in the establishment of the St James Anglican Church at Ngatimoti, consecrated in 1884. Her brother Edward Fearon Jnr had been a member of Bishop Suter's party which visited Ngatimoti in January 1880, marked out the site of the proposed church and spent several days in the Mt Arthur Tablelands, where the Bishop preached to the diggers working their claims up there. Lizzie Fearon made several bequests to St James, including the pulpit, font, and on behalf of the St Thomas' Ladies' Guild, the chancel rails. She also funded the purchase of a property in the Orinoco Valley known as "Berrylands" to house Ngatimoti's only resident Vicar, the Rev. Reginald Hermon, who served at St James between 1888-1890. (45)

Mary Hursthouse nee Fearon (lt)(1845-1901)The town's flags all flew at half mast to mark the death of Motueka'sfirst Mayoress

Mrs Fearon died at home on 1 January 1901 in her 90th year, after a long and eventful life, sustained to the end by her faith and family, and leaving numerous descendants. She was buried alongside her husband and sons at the churchyard cemetery in Thorp Street. Her daughter Mary died in Motueka on 1 September 1901 at the age of 49 and all the flags in town were flown at half mast as a tribute to Motueka’s Mayoress. She was buried at the Motueka Cemetery. Mary was followed on 1st November 1907 by her older sister, Elizabeth, who lies at the old St Thomas’ churchyard with her parents and brothers.Emma died on 8 May 1913 and was buried at the Tuamarina Cemetery in Blenheim. Fanny, the last of Captain Fearon’s children to pass away, died on 7December 1913 and was buried at the Riwaka Cemetery.

Representing Faith, Hope and Charity, the magnificent stained glass east window in the current St Thomas Church was presented in 1915 by the Chaytor family of “Marshlands”, Blenheim, “To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of Elizabeth Fearon and her daughters Elizabeth, Mary, Emma and Frances”. (46)

Following Mrs Fearon’s death the ‘Northwood” estate was held by her daughter Lizzie Fearon until she in turn died in 1907. Some of this land was then subdivided for building allotments andauctioned by the trustees of the Fearon Estate in 1911. Other blocks were bequeathed to various family members. Included in the auction were the lease to 100 acres of Whakerewa Trust land and 98 acres at Lower Moutere.

The original “Northwood” house burnt down in the late 1920s. The 20 acre “Northwood” homestead block had been inherited by Beatrice Chaytor, oldest daughter of John and Emma (nee Fearon) Chaytor. She sold it around 1929 to Jeffrey McGlashen (Mac) Inglis (1902-1983,) who dreamed of building a second “Northwood” there. Eventually he did so, creating an imposing showplace home on the site of Captain Fearon’s former homestead, and naming it “Northwood” after its predecessor. It is still in the Inglis family today. Instrumental in developing the local hop industry, Mac Inglis’ hop garden became the largest in New Zealand and he gave it the name “Northwood Gardens”. (47)Now run by his son, Robert Inglis, the business is known today as the “Northwood Hops Company” and has a new sideline, “Northwood Wines”.

Mac Inglis' dream home.A second "Northwood" built on the same site as Captain Fearon's original "Northwood" homestead.

The legacy of Captain Fearon and his family is commemorated in Motueka by two familiar place names. The old trees along the avenue which once led to the “Northwood” homestead were cut down and the winding drive straightened to become the road now known as Fearon Street, and on 4 November, 1914, 7½ acres of “Northwood”’s original native bush on Section 156 were purchased by the Motueka Borough Council from another of Captain Fearon’s grandchildren, D’Arcy Chaytor, "for the purpose of a public reserve'", named"Fearon’s Bush”. At first a popular setting for public picnics, band concerts and sports days, after the Second World War it became more commonly used as an unofficial camping ground rather than venue for public events. It became an official camping ground in 1995. “Fearon’s Bush” is today the site of the Motueka Top 10 Holiday Park, and although still owned by the Tasman District Council, its status as a public reserve is currently (2016) under review. (48) Edward Fearon is also remembered in the Marlborough township.of Seddon. One of a number of street names featuring pioneering runholders of the old Awatere, "Fearon Street" is rather ironically sited next to "Tetley Street", named for the Captain's nemesis, Joseph Dresser Tetley.

"Camping in the bush" [1865]Artist: John Gully

"The late Captain Fearon was one of the best knownof the early pioneers.

He landed in Nelson, but shortly after came to Motueka,

where he was looked upon as the "Village Father",

often being called upon to settle disputes in those days".

Quotations

Opening text comes from the King James Bible --- Psalms 107:23-24.

Closing piece is taken from an obituary written to mark the death of Elizabeth (Lizzie) Fearon, Captain Fearon's oldest daughter, published in the "Marlborough Express", November 12, 1907, under"Personal"items.* What happened to Thomas Ward? Tom Ward (1815-1882) never married. After selling his 'Langridge" sheep run in the Awatere to the Monro brothers, Tom was left out of pocket - the Monros had bought a large number of his cattle but getting into financial strife, found themselves unable to pay for them. They arranged instead to use part of their “Valleyfield” run nearer Blenheim as security, making Ward the mortgagee. “Valleyfield” was likely Ward’s base when he was recorded as a stockholder in the Wairau Valley in 1870. By 1872 Tom Ward was operating a transport service between Blenheim and Renwick using a coach & horses. The “Royal Hotel” in Blenheim was the start and finish point and in 1877 Tom Ward took over as its licensee. It appears that he may have developed an unfortunate taste for his own wares, as a Thomas Ward was charged more than once in the Blenheim Court for being drunk and incapable in the town.around this time. At some point he moved to a farm in Collingwood, Golden Bay, when he was recorded as resident at the time of his death from a heart attack in Nelson Hospital on 10 January 1882. He was buried at Wakapuaka Cemetery, Nelson, the following day, with the Rev. James Leighton, Vicar of Christ Church, Nelson, conducting the committal. Oddly, neither the notice of his death in the “Colonist” of 11 January 1882 nor the inscription on his headstone make any reference to his link to the Fearon and Thorp families of Motueka, despite the fact that his sister Elizabeth Fearon nee Ward was still resident in Motueka when he died - had Tom perhaps become a bit of an embarrassment by this stage?

6) Journal of the Motueka and District Historical Association (1992) Vol. 6 Not Without Courage: Our First Settlers. [Motueka, NZ]: Motueka and District Historical Association. Edward and Elizabeth Fearon, pp 61-62.

See also: Mitchell, Hilary & Mitchell, John (2004) "Te Tau o Te Waka: A History of Maori of Nelson and Marlborough". Vol I Te Tangata me te Wahanau: The People and the Land, p 330andA Letter from the Editor (touching on events at Motueka).(1843, 28 October) "Nelson Examiner", p 342 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NENZC18431028.2.9

14) Fox, William (1 December 1843) Report “giving a cursory account of proceedings of the agriculturalists” in the Nelson region sent to Colonel William Wakefield, Principal Agent of the New Zealand Company in Wellington.

See hearing into the Motueka School Trust, pp 106-128. Of particular interest are the testimonies of former Whakarewa Industrial School pupils, Hemi Matenga, Huta Paaka and Hohaia Rangiauru, which indicate that they twice cleared land (most likely along Thorp Street) for a school site, but that once cleared it was instead leased to settlers

31) Advertisement - Cattle Trespass Act (1868) Elizabeth Fearon gives notice that owners of cattle straying on her land at Motueka, being Sections 137, 138, 155 & 156, will be subject to prosecution.

Ch VII "Travelling by Water", pp 60-61. Anyone who had travelled on a paddle steamer "would understand the description of being sea sick thus expressed, 'For the first half hour they were afraid they would die and after that they were afraid they would not'".

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About Me

"What is history but a fable agreed upon?", asked Napoleon.
I have an abiding fascination with history in all its forms, including historical fiction. My name is Anne McFadgen and I live at Ngatimoti, in the Motueka Valley. Under my nom de 'net, "Annis", I've written quite a few reviews for historical novels and the odd article under my own name.
I live close to our local WWI war memorial and as the centenary of WWI approaches, I've been working on a collaborative project with Ngatimoti historian, Ed Stevens, to retrieve some detail about the lives of the men on the Ngatimoti Memorial who served in the Great War, but have become lost in time.